A New Way

"Do not be stiff-necked,

as your ancestors were;

submit to the LORD.

Come to his sanctuary,

which he has consecrated forever.

Serve the LORD your God,

so that his fierce anger will turn away from you."

2 Chronicles 30:8

I may have come from a long line of faithless people, as was the case with the people of Israel.  Perhaps no one could picture me following Jesus wholeheartedly.  It could be I even have a hard time imagining such devotion myself.  Or what if I'm known as a heathen who would never let anyone else rule my life?

Whatever the pattern or expectation, Jesus is offering a new way.

Yield.  Jesus did everything that was necessary to make me right with God.  Through His death on the cross, I am made new (2 Corinthians 5:17).  All that is left for me to do is to yield to His work in my life.  I say, "all" as if that were an easy thing, which it is not.  Yet when I do let God have His way, I find it is not as scary as I may have first thought.

God loves me with a love that is beyond my ability to understand.  Since there is nothing that I can do, or that can be done to me, or that I can experience in life, that can make God stop loving me, I am secure in His arms (Romans 8:38-39).  Therefore, I can step forward in obedience to Him, in complete blind faith knowing without a doubt that His love will sustain me.  I have nothing to fear (1 John 4:18).

Due to the fact that God is love (1 John 4:16), I don't need to worry about being taken advantage of by Him, or of being left out to dry by Him, or of being hurt just so He can watch me suffer.  His love would not allow such treatment.  Instead, I can expect that He has my best interest at heart whenever He allows anything into my life, that He will never leave my side, and that He will weave all the ugly and hurtful parts of my life into a beautiful tapestry (Romans 8:28,Deuteronomy 31:6, Isaiah 61:1-3).

Instead of stubbornly living my own way, I can yield to a God who loves me beyond my comprehension.

Come.  I am used to doing things in my own strength.  Since I live in a world that encourages independence, this innate tendency is cultivated as I go through my days in such an environment.  Jesus, however, has a new way for me to live.  He died so that I could confidently approach my Father to receive whatever I need to take another step.  Instead of fearing His judgment, I can come as a child approaches her loving Daddy, knowing without a doubt He will generously heap His blessings on me (Hebrews 4:14-16).

Not only can I receive from Him, but I am encouraged to unload on Him as well.  My Father never meant for me to walk this path alone, bearing my own burdens and handling my own pain.  Instead, He extends the invitation to me, "Come, unload!  Let me carry your worries, your hurts, your fears." (Matthew 11:28, 1 Peter 5:7)

Instead of stubbornly living my own way, I can yield to a God who encourages dependence on Him.

Serve.  I am naturally the center of my attention and it is me and my life that I most often consider when making decisions.  It's easy for me to spend my waking moments furthering my own agenda, or defending my own rights, or chasing after my own dreams.  I'm used to looking out for my best interest and working hard to protect  and improve my own comfortable lifestyle.

Jesus, however, offers a new way.  In dying on the cross, taking my own sins and the punishment I deserve upon Himself, He freed me from the flesh that drives me toward selfish living (Romans 6:6-7).  Now, instead of choosing to focus on my own best interest, I am empowered to make God's priorities my own.  When I seek His perspective, He will freely give it, breaking my heart for what breaks His.  

Furthermore, as a follower of Christ, I have been made holy and therefore able to serve Him and be used by Him.  Not that He needs me to accomplish His mission here on earth.  Rather, that He desires to include me in what He is doing.  I have been given the privilege to see His love in action as I serve Him as my Lord and Savior.

Instead of stubbornly living my own way, I can serve a God who desires to include me in His kingdom work here on earth.

I have many excuses to refuse God's free gift of salvation and continue to live as my own lord.  When I do accept Jesus into my heart, however, I will find a new way to live.  Because of God's great love for me, I will learn to trust Him enough to yield to His leading.  I will also find that as His child, I can come to Him at any time.  It also may astound me to learn that He desires my companionship so much that He wants me to work alongside Him.  This is the new way of living offered through Jesus Christ.  What am I waiting for?

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can truly fathom God's great love for me.

When am I afraid to trust God enough to obey Him?

What is my greatest fear when it comes to placing my life in His hands?